Shoot-for-the-moon solutions for the Red Sox

<b>By Eric Wilbur/Boston.com Staff</b>
So, we’ve seen how assembling an “uber team,” as Theo Epstein liked to refer to the process of signing high-priced free agents at every corner of the diamond, goes. As the last-place Red Sox enter the offseason, it’s up to Ben Cherington to retool a team that ended 2012 in disarray, which likely means building with underappreciated, cost-effective players. Still, we can dream, right? If we were general manager, here’s how we’d like to see our dream offseason take place, money – or Larry Lucchino’s permission – aside.
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<b>Starting pitcher—David Price:</b> One way to get fan interest boiling would be to pull off a “Pedro-style” deal to reinvigorate the franchise. Don’t laugh. There is thought that the Rays might be open to trading their ace this offseason because the value for the 20-game winner may never be higher. Price is coming off his best season, and is a free agent after 2015. Since any partner would have control of the lefty for three seasons, it would take a hefty offer. But the Rays desperately need offense if they intend to remain a viable contender in the AL East.
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<b>First base—Anthony Rizzo:</b> Ah, yes, the position that was wrapped up for the foreseeable future. Oops. The least the Sox can do is go full circle and trade for one of the prospects that went west in the Adrian Gonzalez deal. Rizzo, now with the Cubs, had a much better 2012 in the majors (.285, 15 home runs, .805 OPS) than he did in 2011 with the Padres, and is clearly something of an obsession with former members of the Red Sox front office. Cherington deserves his shot. Why no Edwin Encarnacion? Well, just something about a 42-home run hitter who had never hit more than 26 in his career on the same team as Jose Bautista. That’s all.
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<b>Second base—Dustin Pedroia:</b> Despite a few dings in his image following <i>l’affaire text message</i>, Pedroia remains the soul of a franchise desperately seeking more heart. Robinson Cano and Aaron Hill may have more gaudy numbers, but the swagger Pedroia brings to the clubhouse can be contagious with the proper mix of players surrounding him. Leader? No. But the energy that stirs this team is even more vital as it rounds into a youth movement. Would we trade him for Price? Um, yeah. But otherwise, there’s no need to look any further.
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<b>Shortstop—A 24-year-old Xander Bogaerts (right):</b> Can the clock speed up on this kid already? It’s becoming increasingly evident that while Jose Iglesias is slick with the glove, his bat is clearly lacking, and the list of free agents isn’t exactly appealing. You could probably talk the Marlins into unloading high-priced Jose Reyes, but then you’re pretty much in the same contract nonsense you already unloaded to Los Angeles. By all accounts, Bogaerts is destined to be a star at the position. He hit .326 during his 23-game stint at Double A Portland, with a .948 OPS. , but he’s still only 20, and will need more seasoning with the Sea Dogs in 2013 before Red Sox fans can seriously begin to salivate over him.
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<b>Third base—Miguel Cabrera: </b> As long as we’re shooting for the moon, might as well see how the Red Sox could pry the Triple Crown winner away from the Tigers. Cabrera’s historic season (.330 average, 44 home runs, 139 RBI) may not yield him the MVP as voting members derided his subpar defense, and heaped support on Angels outfielder Mike Trout, the slam-dunk Rookie of the Year, but that’s the only negative during his 2012 season. OK, so there’s the off-the-field stuff, not to mention the $21 million price tag, but the last time the Red Sox picked up a righthanded power hitter with poor defense from a team in the AL Central things – for the most part – turned out OK, right?
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<b>Left field—Josh Willingham:</b> Despite hitting more than 25 home runs for the fifth time in his career, and 100 RBIs for the first, the 33-year-old Willingham has been somewhat underappreciated. In 2012, the Twins became his fourth stop in the major leagues, signing as a free agent last offseason. Now, since the only saving grace for the Red Sox not being in last place in the American League was the Twins’ awful season, maybe there’s a way to help both parties. Boston trades Minnesota some prospects, and the Red Sox take on the remaining $14 million on his deal, landing a righthanded-hitting power outfielder. Of course, Ichiro would bring ratings and marketing, so that’s probably the route they’ll go.
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<b>Center field—Josh Hamilton:</b> This one could very well happen, and is sure to spark a debate about which direction the Red Sox feel they’re headed. It will take one of the biggest contracts in baseball history to land the talented and injury-plagued Hamilton, who comes along with dependence issues. After years of tossing cash at the problem, most Sox fans are hoping that Cherington takes charge and doesn’t sink the team deeper, i.e. Carl Crawford, John Lackey, Edgar Renteria, Julio Lugo. Hamilton may be a franchise player, but whether the 31-year-old is a fit in Boston is a debate that will rage for the next month. He fits on the dream team, not so sure about the real one.
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<b>Right field—Justin Upton:</b> Cody Ross may be friendly, and just the sort of jewel-in-the-rough player Cherington will be looking at this offseason, but in Upton, the Red Sox would have a 25-year-old franchise player whom the Diamondbacks have been on-again, off-again open to dealing. That’s despite being fourth in the 2011 MVP balloting, and scoring 107 runs this season, tied for fourth in all of baseball. He’s signed through 2015, but his salary jumps from $9.75 million next season to $14.25 million in 2014, a contract the D-Backs, who finished 13 games behind the Giants in the NL West, may want to get out of. The team has said his 2013 return is highly likely, but the way things have gone, that will change in 14 minutes.
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<b>Catcher—Victor Martinez:</b> Whatever happened to that guy anyway?
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<b>Closer—Mariano Rivera (pictured). Or Rafael Soriano:</b> Both are potentially free agents heading into 2013, and while Rivera is coming off ACL surgery at the age of 42, you just know the Red Sox would love to tweak their rivals by having him finish his career in Boston. Yet his replacement, Soriano, wasn’t so bad this season, amassing 42 saves for the AL East champs. By signing one or the other, the Red Sox would be taking a strength away from New York, and potentially solving a position clearly lacking with the departure of Jonathan Papelbon, the hot-headedness of Alfredo Aceves, and the inability of Andrew Bailey to get the job done. There’s also the option of Daniel Bard. Right, let’s move on.
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<b>Manager—Bill Mueller:</b> I understand that John Farrell is the apple of everybody’s eye, but the former Red Sox third baseman, and current special assistant to the GM for the Dodgers, presents an interesting option. Mueller’s quiet wit could either get him eaten alive in Boston, or be just the right approach to managing here. I lean toward the latter. Of course, any manager is going to have to deal with questions about warming the seat for Jason Varitek, which is going to be unfair to whomever they bring in. Mueller seems like a guy who might shrug them off.
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